Shipping and display container



July 20, 1965 R. A. DE FEO 3,195,797

' SHIPPING AND DISPLAY CONTAINER Filed Dec. 16, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l I INVENTOR. I RICHARD A. DE FEO ATTOR NEYS y 0, 1965 R. A. DE FEO 3,195,797

SHIPPING AND DISPLAY CONTAINER Filed Dec. 16,1963 2 Sheets-Sheet z s mv x RICHARD A. 01-: PEG

gwm

ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,195,797 SHIPPING AND DISPLAY CONTAINER Richard A. De Feo, Ardmore, Pa, assignor to Bayuk Cigars Incorporated, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Maryland Filed Dec. 16, 1963, Ser. No. 330,664 7 Claims. (Cl. 229--27) This invention relates to a container suitable for the shipment and display of cigars, more particularly cigars which are in individual packs such as, for example, the well-known five-packs which contain five cigars.

The container of this invention is of the type which can be formed from a single blank and which can be folded flat for economy in shipment and handling.

The container of this invention is particularly advantageous in that on being unfolded from the flat condition, it positions a pair of inner bottom panels and an upstanding divider Within the container. The divider markedly improves the display quality of the container in that it permits the display of two rows of cigar packs while preventing the falling sidewise of the packs in one row due to the removal of packs in the other row.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent on reading the following description in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a blank for forming the container of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a container formed from the blank of FIGURE 1 and folded into the flat condition;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation partly in section of the container of FIGURE 2 unfolded into the display position;

FIGURE 4 is a bottom plan view of the unfolded container of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section of the unfolded container of FIGURE 3 taken on the plane indicated by the line 55 in FIGURE 4.

Referring to FIGURE 1, container blank may be formed, such as by cutting or stamping, from any suitable sheet material such as that available in the paper industry, including heavy paper stock, card-board, fiberboard and the like. The various types of plastic sheeting available in the trade also are quite suitable.

The contour of blank 10 is shown in full lines, and for convenience in description, the lines along which blank 16 is to be folded are shown in dot and dash lines.

Any suitable means available in the art may be employed to facilitate folding or to fold blank 10 along the lines so indicated. Scoring is usually very convenient to' facilitate folding, say crease scoring on relatively lighter weight stock, and cut scoring on relatively heavier weight stock, that is, stock not given to ready bending.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, a blank 10 for forming a container in accordance with the invention has an outer top panel 12 connected to inner top panel 14 along a fold line indicated at 16 and connected to an outer rear panel 18 along a fold line indicated at 20. Outer rear panel 18 is connected to inner rear panel 22 along a fold line indicated at 24. Panel 22 is connected to panel 14 along a fold line indicated at 25.

Outer rear panel 18 is connected to outer bottom panel 26 along a fold line indicated at 28 and outer bottom panel 26 is connected to outer bottom panel 30 along a fold line indicated at 32. Outer rear panel 18 is connected to outer side panel 34 along a fold line indicated at 36. Outer side panel 34 is connected along a fold line indicated at 38 to inner side panel 40 and along a fold line indicated at 42 to inner bottom panel 44 which in turn is connected along fold line 46 to divider panel 48.

Outer side panel 34 is connected along a fold line indicated at 50 to front panel 52 which is connected along a fold line indicated at 54 to outer bottom panel 56 which in turn is connected along a fold line indicated at 58 to outer bottom panel 60. Front panel 52 is connected along a fold line indicated at 62 to outer side panel 64 which is connected along a fold line indicated at 66 to inner side panel 66. Outer side panel 64 is connected along a fold line indicated at 70 to inner bottom panel 72 which is connected along a fold line indicated at 74 to divider panel 76. Side panel 64 is connected along a fold line indicated at 7 8 to a flap 7 d.

The blank 18 can be formed into a container by a number of different combinations of steps. The following procedure, however, will be illustrative. Inner top panel 14 and inner rear panel 22 are folded about fold lines indicated at 16 and 24, respectively and secured to outer top panel 12 and outer rear panel 18 by an adhesive 82 (FIGURE 3). Outer side panel 34 is then folded upwardly about the fold line indicated at 36 and inner bottom panel 44 is folded inwardly about the fold line indicated at 42. Divider panel 48 is folded inwardly about the fold line indicated at 46. Outer bottom panel 26 is then folded inwardly about the fold line indicated at 28 and outer bottom panel 30 is adhesively secured to inner bottom panel 44 by adhesive indicated at 84 (FIG- URE 4). At this juncture, panels 26, 30, 44 and 48 all lie in planes substantially at right angles to the plane of panel 18.

Front panel 52 is now folded about the foldline indicated at 50 until it lies at substantially a right angle to panel 34. And outer side panel 64 is folded about the fold line indicated at 62 until it is approximately at right angles to front panel 52. Flap 78 is then folded inwardly to form a right angle with outer side panel 64 and secured to outer rear panel 18 by an adhesive indicated at 86 (FIGURE 5).

Inner bottom panel 72 is now folded inwardly up against outer bottom panels 26 and 30 about the fold line indicated at 70 and divider panel 76 is folded upwardly to abut divider panel 48. Outer bottom panel 56 is then folded about the fold line indicated at 54 and outer bottom panel 60 is secured to enter bottom panel 72 by an adhesive 88 (FIGURE 4).

The securing of panel 30 to panel 44 in effect hingedly secures panel 26 to panel 44 along fold line 32. Similarly; the securing of panel 60 to panel 72 in effect hingedly secures panel 56 to panel 72 along fold line 58. It will be noted that fold line 32 bisects the angle between outer rear panel 18 and outer side panel 34. Similarly fold line 58 bisects the angle between front panel 52 and outer side panel 64. This positioning of fold lines 32 and 58 facilitates the collapsing of the container 80 for shipment which will now be described.

In order to collapse the container 88 for purposes of economical storage and shipment, the two corners remote from fold lines 32 and 58 which are indicated at 92 and 94 in FIGURE 4 are advanced towards each other which will result in the upward folding of outer bottom panels 26 and 30 along the fold line indicated at 32 and the upward folding of outer bottom panel 26 about the fold line indicated at 287 This in turn causes inner bottom panel 44 to fold upwardly about the fold line indicated at 42. The upwardly moving divider panel 48 contacts the upstanding inner side panel 40 and is thereby caused to fold about the fold line indicated at 46 into an upstanding position.

Similarly, outer bottom panels 56 and 60 fold upwardly about fold line 58 with outer bottom panel 56 also folding upwardly about the fold line indicated at 54. This causes inner bottom panel 72 to fold upwardly about the fold line indicated at 70 and divider panel 76 moves upwardly and to be folded about fold line 74 due to being r forced against the upstanding inner side panel 68. The, thus collapsed container 80 is in substantially a flat condition as illustrated in FIGURE 2.v

In order to set the container up' for use, the'reverse operation is. carriedout' with'the corners indicated at 96 and 98 in FIGURE 4 being forced together which causes the reverse of the above described action. Dividerjpanels 48 and 76 bearing against each other asthey come to'-. gether tend to cam each other into a substantially upright position. Inner side panels 40and 68 are now folded enema? V I .7 4. A collapsible displaycontainer in accordance with claim'2 in which inner side. panels are hingedly connected prising downwardly into the interior. of the container and the V -packs 100 are then inserted on either side of the divider panels 48 and 76. Before shipment theouter top panel 12 and the inner top panel 14; arefolded about 'the' fold lines indicated at 20 and 25 respectively so "as to overlie the tops ofthe 5-packs' 1%; The thus formed assembly can then be wrapped and shipped. In order to orient the dis- 3 play :container for display of the merchandise after it is unwrapped, all that: isnecessary is to. fold outer. top panel 12 and inner top panel Mabout the fold lines indicated at It will be uenderstood that the above described embodi ment of the invention is illustrative only and is not intended to be limiting; 7 l v What is claimed is:

, 1.. A collapsible display container for the'reception of side by side rows of merchandise comprising rear panel, 1 V

pair of side panels hingedly. connected to the rear panel, V a front panel hingedly connected tothe'side panels, a

. spectively to the lower edges of the side panels,

spectively to the slower edges of the front and rear panels, I V one of the outer bottom panels being .hingedly con nectedto one of the innerbottom panels'alongaline claim 1 in which a'second upstandingdivider panel is 50 hingedly connected to the inner'edge of the other "ofth e;

V inner bottom panels. 7

,3. A collapsible display container in accordance claim 2 in which a top panel is hingedly connected to the V 7' I V V V l 1 T.. GARRETT, Examiner.

rear panel.

pair ofxouter bottom panels'hingedly connected repair of inner bottom panels hingedly'connectedre i 20-and respectively into a substantially upright posirespectively. to the upper edge of the first mentioned side panels. I i i t f I 5.-A one piece collapsible display container for the reception of two sideby side rows of merchandise comarearpanel, f I a pair ofside panels hingedly connected to the rear panel, I a frontpanel hingedly connected'to the side panels,

an inner bottom panel hingedly connected to the lower edge of one side'panel, Y Y an upstanding divider panel hingedly connected to the inner edge of said inner bottom panel, an outer bottom panel hingedly connected to the lower edge of the rear panel, v a panelhingedly connected to the outer bottom panel along a line substantially bisectingthe angle between 'said side panel and the rear paneland secured to said inner bottom panel, t V a second inner bottom panelhingedly'connected to the lower edge of the other side panel, 7 7 an, upstanding divider, panelhingedly connected to the inner, edge of said second mentioned inner bottom .'pane1, o a an outer bottom panelhingedly connectedv to the lower edge ofthe'trontpaneL'andf v, a panel'hingedly'connected to the/last mentioned outer Ibottom panelal'ong a line substantially bisecting the janglebetween the second mentioned side panel and the front panel and secured to the 'second'mentioned inner bottom panel; l 6. A'oneipiece collapsible display container in accord ance with claim 5 in which a top panel is hingedly connected tothe rearp'anel. t 17. A. one piece collapsible display. container in'accord- V ance with claim 5 in which inner side panels arehingedly connected respectively tothe upper edgexof the first mentioned side panels. a 5

References Citedby the Examiner .UNITED STATES PATENTS I i 5/42 Hi rnes f229-41 2,348,378 5/44- Goodyear.

P2353298 :7/44 Dorfrnann.

2,396,168 "3/46 Finn. I

3,145,901- 8/64 'Nolen 229--27 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,l92,196 4/59 France.

; JosEPnR. L ECLAI R, Primary Examiner. 

1. A COLLAPSIBLE DISPLAY CONTAINER FOR THE RECEPTION OF TWO SIDE BY SIDE ROWS OF MERCHANDISE COMPRISING A REAL PANEL, A PAIR OF SIDE PANELS HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE REAR PANEL, A FRONT PANEL HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE SIDE PANELS, A PAIR OF INNER BOTTOM PANELS HINGEDLY CONNECTED RESPECTIVELY TO THE LOWER EDGES OF THE SIDE PANELS, A PAIR OF OUTER BOTTOM PANELS HINGELY CONNECTED RESPECTIVELY TO THE LOWER EDGES OF THE FRONT AND REAR PANELS, ONE OF THE OUTER BOTTOM PANELS BEING HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO ONE OF THE INNER BOTTOM PANELS ALONG A LINE SUBSTANTIALLY BISECTING ONE CORNER OF THE CONTAINER AND THE OTHER OF THE OUTER BOTTOM PANELS BEING HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE OTHER INNER BOTTOM PANEL ALONG A LINE SUBSTANTIALLY BISECTING THE CORNER OF THE CONTAINER DIAGONALLY OPPOSITE THE FIRST MENTIONED CORNER, AND AN UPSTANDING DIVIDER PANEL HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE INNER EDGE OF ONE OF THE INNER BOTTOM PANELS. 